The Freaks on Privet Drive
by AquaRias
Summary: What if Harry was not the only one to be abused and abandoned by the Dursley’s? What if Dudley was a wizard? How much could a simple thing like having someone to depend on shape a person?
1. Prologue

**The Freaks on Privet Drive**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, not making any money, yada yada yada.**

**Summary: What if Harry was not the only one to be abused and neglected by the Dursley's? What if Dudley was a wizard?**

**Chapter one: Prologue**

In a perfectly normal neighborhood, in a perfectly normal town, a perfectly normal family of three lived a perfectly normal life, in a perfectly normal house.

The perfectly normal Petunia opened the door and reached down for the milk, humming a perfectly normal tune. She looked over where the milk bottles should be, and gasped, letting out a loud shriek, "Vernon!"

Two years later to the very day, that suddenly not-so-normal woman entered her perfectly normal three and a half year old son's room, intent on bringing him into the kitchen for breakfast. "Oh my little Diddly-Dums, are you hungry pumpkin?" She exclaimed, sickly sweetness laced in her high pitched tone.

"Mumma I want!" The child yelled, pointing at his mothers' necklace. "Mum! I WANT!" He shrieked. But before Petunia could move to take it off and give it to him, to her immense shock, the clasp undid itself and the necklace flew through the air and landed in Dudley's fist. The child squealed in delight, after all, he had just performed his first ever accidental summoning charm...of course, he didn't know it yet, but he would one day...but that's for another time in the story.

**A/N: Yeah it's short, but it's a prologue after all. I promise the other chapters will be a whole lot longer...I'll try update tonight.**


	2. Dear Hogwarts

**The Freaks on Privet Drive**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, not making any money, yada yada yada.**

**Summary: What if Harry was not the only one to be abused and neglected by the Dursley's? What if Dudley was a wizard?**

**Chapter Two: Dear Hogwarts**

"Harry!" The lump under the sheets wriggled slightly, before falling still again. "Harry, wake up!" The lump groaned as the sheet was violently removed, revealing a small boy with messy black hair. Emerald eyes peeked open slowly, squinting in the darkness.

"What do you want!" He hissed, sitting up grudgingly.

The brown haired boy in front of the bed smirked before thrusting a colourfully wrapped present into Harry's face. "It's midnight. Happy eleventh birthday!" He chirped cheerfully, perching on the end up the bed.

Harry's eyes lit up, his previous tiredness forgotten in the excitement. He ripped open the present, the wrapping scattering to reveal a small silver chain. If you looked closely, you would see that it was an identical version of the chain around the brown haired boy's neck that Harry had given him for his own birthday a month before. "To symbolise our brotherhood." Harry had said, and the other boy now parroted the words.

"Thanks 'Ley," Harry whispered, pulling the other boy into a hug.

The boys had been living in Smithson Orphanage since they were eight years old. Harry's Aunt and Uncle, and Dudley's parents, had resented them for as long as they could remember. They had put up with them for eight years, before finally dumping them in a nearby orphanage. They had been given no reason other then that they were 'too freakish to handle' – They had been thrown out after a particularly strange incident when the two had suddenly and unexplainably ended up on the school roof one lunch time. That, apparently, had been the last straw.

They had been left on the doorstep of Smithson Orphanage, and when asked his name, Dudley had halved his first name and taken his mother's maiden name, giving 'Ley Evans' and the two were thought half-brothers. Although they didn't look much alike - Harry was shorter with black hair and green eyes whilst Dudley was taller and stockier with brown hair and brown eyes – they knew each other so well and acted so alike it was easy to believe their fabricated story.

The orphanage honestly wasn't a whole lot better then the Dursley's had been, but the owner, Henry Smithson, took to ignoring the children rather then insulting or physically harming them. There were not many children there, only about seven or eight others ranging between the ages of six to twelve.

The boys' reminiscing was interrupted by a soft tapping on the window. 'What's that?" Ley whispered, cautious not to wake the others still sleeping in the room.

"I dunno…" Harry muttered, "go and see."

"Come with me." Ley demanded, scowling.

Harry rolled his eyes. "What, are you scared?" He mocked, before climbing to his feet. The two crept over to the window, the tapping noise growing louder as they approached the window.

"It's a bird!" Ley exclaimed, rushing to open the window.

"Wait!" Harry hissed, stopping Ley in his tracks. "What if it's diseased or something?"

Ley shrugged, before pulling the window open. A large brown owl flew through the window landing on Harry's bed, ruffling its feathers slightly. It fixed them with a piercing glare as they cautiously approached.

"What's it holding?" Harry asked, peering curiously at the bird.

"I dunno, but it seems rather tame." Ley commented as he stroked its head softly. Harry reached out cautiously, grabbing the two envelopes that the bird carried. He brought them to his eyes, frowning slightly.

_Harry Potter_

The first one read in curly emerald ink, a wax seal holding the envelope closed with some sort of crest on it.

He glanced to the other to see similar ink.

_Dudley Dursley (Ley Evans)_

Harry passed the second envelope to Ley, before opening his own one.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sor., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

_Dear Mr Potter,  
We are pleased to imform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on 1 September, We await your owl by no later than 31 July. If you wish for a representative to be sent to accompany you to Diagon Alley where supplies can be bought, please note in your owl._

_Yours sincerly,_

Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

Similarly, Ley was reading his own letter. It contained the same heading, with a slightly altered message.

_Dear Mr Evans/Dursley_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Withcraft and Wizardry. We apologise for the delay (Letters are usually sent on the receivers eleventh birthday) but it took us a short time to connect your new name with your previous one. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September, we await your owl by no later then 31 July. __If you wish for a representative to be sent to accompany you to Diagon Alley where supplies can be bought, please note in your owl._

"Owl?" Ley asked, glancing at Harry. "Does that mean we should reply using this one?" He was surprised when the owl gave a brisk nod. "Alright then…" he muttered, shaking his head.

"This can't be real!" Harry whispered, emerald eyes wide with shock.

"But think Harry," Ley murmured. "All that weird stuff…it all makes sense!"

"But…magic!?" Harry shook his head. "Wow."

"What should be do?" Ley asked, studying the letter carefully.

"I suppose we should reply…" Harry blinked slightly, before pinching his arm, hard. "Ouch! Guess I'm not dreaming then." He wondered absently whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I suppose it can't hurt to reply…even if it _is_ a hoax. And the owl's still sitting there." With that statement, Ley reached over and grabbed a blue ball point pen.

…_AR…_

Albus Dumbledore's bright blue eyes twinkled as he read the piece of parchment.

_Dear Hogwarts_

_We would like to attend your school for wizards. Please send the representative you mentioned as we don't know what Diagon Alley is, or where to find it. We would also like to note that we have no money so we can't pay for that stuff – please tell us if we can still come, because we both really want to._

_Ley Evans and Harry Potter_

He glanced up from the parchment with mirth in his eyes, to the four people seated in front of him. "Add another two to the list." He said with a smile. "Harry Potter and his cousin Ley Evans are coming to Hogwarts."

Three of the four heads of houses smiled widely at this, while the forth simple scowled. "They had better not be in Slytherin…" he muttered, glaring darkly at the chuckling head master.

**A/N: I know it took me a year…but hey, I updated. It's short, but like I told a lot of you who reviewed, the prologue was really all I thought out. I don't have much motivation for this story, but I guess if enough of you want me to keep going I can continue. We'll see what happens, eh? A warning, I might change the title. It really sucks, if I do say so myself. Feel free to suggest a better one.**


	3. Representative from Hell

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for all those reviews

**The Freaks on Privet Drive**

**A/N: Hey guys, thanks for all those reviews! I must say, I was a little shocked that the one story I really don't have much interest in, everyone seems to read. I didn't get a chance to reply to everyone, but I'll address a few general queries.**

'**Ley' should be pronounced 'LEE' not 'LAY'. It's basically just taking the end of Dudley's name (Since Dudley's a good character in this story and I can't stand his god awful name).**

**I know that I probably got Dudley's appearance wrong; someone mentioned that he should have blonde hair and blue eyes. So from now on, he's gonna have the hopefully correct appearance. I 'accidentally' deleted the other chapters from my computer in a blind fit of rage when I just couldn't seem to write this chapter, so I can't really change what I wrote before. Just ignore it, I guess. **

**Chapter three: Representative from Hell**

A sharp knock on the front door, had the two excited boys leaping from their seats in the living room. In moments, they were at the door, glancing at each other nervously before opening it.

Harry took a startled step back at the sight that greeted him, Ley doing the same a few moments later. In front of them, stood a tall, thin, pale man dressed completely in black with greasy black hair falling to his shoulders. His eyes were like obsidian pools, glaring at the suitably cowed eleven year olds. "Mr. Potter." He hissed in a smooth, low voice. "Mr. Evans. My name is professor Snape." He said briskly, waving his hand slightly. "I am the…representative that the Headmaster saw fit to send." His lip curled in distaste as he surveyed them, before he spun around and began to stride away. "Well?" He snapped, not bothering to turn around. "Are you coming?"

Harry and Ley shared a wary look, before hastily following the black-clad man. As they reached him, he grasped each of their sleeves, muttering "Portus".

The two stared wide eyed as they felt the sensation of being sucked through a tunnel, before landing in a crowded, unfamiliar place. "What?" Harry muttered, shaking his head as he glanced around in wonder.

"What was that?" Ley breathed, sucking in a long breath.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, it was just a portkey!" The man snapped, before striding towards the exit. He was stopped, however, by a man in a purple robe with an odd looking turban on his head.

"P-p-professor…" The man stuttered, glancing at the two students with mild interest. "I-is that…H-harry P-p-potter?"

"No." Snape said curtly. "It isn't. Now let me through." Luckily, Harry's fringe covered his scar (which he didn't yet know the significance of) and the man stepped aside.

"A-apologies P-p-professor. There w-was word that h-he would b-be at Diagon A-alley t-today. I assumed…" The strange man trailed off at Snape's harsh glare.

"Well I have not seen the boy, nor do I intend to. Good day, Professor." He snapped, before dragging the boys out by their elbows.

"Professor?" Harry asked once they were in the alley, his eyes wide with confusion. "How did he know my name?"

"Wild guess?" Snape muttered sarcastically, before curling his lip at the boy. "Everyone knows your name, boy. In my opinion, you'd do well to change it." He sneered, before tapping a series of bricks with a long wooden stick.

"Is…is that a wand?" Ley asked, staring blankly at it.

"Muggles." Snape hissed. "Wouldn't know a broomstick from a tree trunk."

"Muggles?" Ley asked, staring blankly at the irritated professor.

"Non-magic people." Snape answered curtly, as the bricks began to move.

Their concerns quickly forgotten, the two stared wide eyed at the world that opened before them. The alley was an array of colour with people literally _everywhere _– Harry felt almost overwhelmed as the crowds dashed passed brightly coloured shops and stalls.

"Wow…" Harry breathed, staring at the rush of activity.

"Yeah…wow." Ley said, pointing to a nearby shop. In the glass window, a cookbook was repeatedly turning itself into a different meal every few seconds, and then back to a book. "Look at that!"

"Enough dithering!" Snape growled menacingly. "Let us get what we came for and be gone."

The two boys nodded mutely, still staring in amazement at the magic around them. They almost had to jog to keep up with the man's large strides, staring wide eyed at everything as they passed. Finally, they stopped outside a large, elegant building. The doors were made of shiny bronze that stood out against the white marble of the building. The building was bigger then most of the other shops, and towered over the street like a palace.

The boys gasped in unison as they aid eyes on the…creature that was guarding the doors. There, dressed in a scarlet and gold uniform, was a goblin. Snape sneered at the short, green, being who bowed grudgingly as they walked inside. They were met by another pair of doors, this time silver, with the words of what looked like a poem engraved on them. Snape didn't give them time to read it, ushering them impatiently inside. He strode over to the nearest counter, glaring at the goblin behind it.

"Harry Potter's vault." He hissed lowly, so that the other customers couldn't overhear. The last thing he needed was a pandemonium.

"Key, sir?" The Goblin inquired with a sneer.

"I must also visit another vault, seven hundred and thirteen, in Albus Dumbledore's name. I have a note." He muttered in a monotone, handing over a small golden key and a folded piece of parchment. The goblin glanced down, unfolding the note and reading it with a blank face. Finally, he nodded grudgingly, before waving them through. "Very well. I shall accompany you to both vaults."

Snape nodded and dragged the boys behind them by their elbows. "Pay attention." He hissed. "Next time you will be doing this on your own." Harry gulped and nodded quickly, afraid to invoke the wrath of the irritable professor.

"Yes sir." The two intoned in unison, following quickly behind the man's billowing cloak.

Half an hour later and a great deal richer, the two boys followed wide eyed as they were lead out of the bank. "I can't believe it!" Harry murmured, his eyes wide with amazement. "All this time I've been a millionaire."

"Ha!" Ley scoffed. "More like a billionaire! Did you _see_ how much gold there was in there?"

Snape, with what seemed like a permanent scowl on his face, growled slightly and shoved them into an old shop, with the words _"Ollivanders: Makers of fine wands since 382 BC." _Printed in cursive script on the sign.

"Get your wands." He snapped, curling his lip distastefully. "Merlin knows how long it could take. I will see to your clothing in the mean time. Do _not_ leave the store – I will come and collect you." He hissed, before stalking out of the shop.

"Mister Potter." A silky voice from behind him caused Harry to jump, spinning wildly to face his assailant. "I had thought I'd be seeing you soon." It was an old man with wide, pale eyes that seemed to stare into Harry's soul. Suddenly, they shifted to Ley, causing him to jump a little with the sudden-ness. "Mister Dursley…or should I say, Mister Evans."

"How do you know who we are?" Harry asked, his voice trembling very slightly.

"Well, for you, Mr. Potter…everyone knows who _you_ are. Mr. Evans," He paused, as if thinking. "Well, let's just say I have a gift."

"Wait." Harry snapped, beginning to feel a little angry at being left out of the big secret. "Professor Snape said the same thing! _How_ does everyone know who I am?"

"You do not know?" The man asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "It's a long story," he murmured, as he studied the shelves of wands in front of him, finally choosing one and handing it to Ley. "But I suppose we have time." As he gave them different wands to try, Harry finally learned why everyone knew his name.

"When you were a baby, not yet reached your second birthday, your parents went into hiding from an evil wizard. This wizard, known as he-who-must-not-be-named, or The Dark Lord, finally tracked them down on Halloween. Your parents, Harry Potter, were killed that night, and you almost shared their fate. Perhaps by a stroke of luck or fortune, when the Dark Lord cast the killing curse on you, it rebounded upon himself, vanquishing his soul and leaving his body dead. For that, Harry Potter, you are a hero. You are the Boy-who-lived."

…AR…

Snape collected them around an hour later, sneering slightly at the dazed looks on their faces. He figured that Ollivander must have told them, then. Both boys clutched their wands (Harry's was eleven inches holly and phoenix feather, Ley's was twelve inches mahogany and chimera hair) tightly in their hands, not willing to let them go so soon after getting them.

Snape led them to what looked like a pet shop, his lip curled dangerously. "I am obligated to give you the option of choosing a pet to take with you to Hogwarts." He droned, sounding like it was an effort to stay civil. "I shall wait here."

"I can't believe what that man said." Harry breathed as he glanced over the pets in the cages. "It's so…surreal."

"I know!" Ley exclaimed, shaking his head. "You're a hero!"

"But I didn't _do_ anything!" Harry protested vehemently. "All I did was _live_ – that's not exactly heroic, I don't even _remember_ it!"

"Hey, look at that one!" Ley said, his attention shifting as he looked at the tortishell cat. It was not really a kitten, but it wasn't full grown either. The cat was slim with medium length hair, mostly black with small brown and orange spots. They paws were all half black and half cream, except for the right front paw which was a pure, ebony black. They face was mostly black with a brown stripe down the middle of its face, the nose small and pink. The cat blinked up at them with glowing yellow eyes, meowing softly.

Ley smiled widely at the high pitched mew. "I want it."

Several minutes later, the two left the shop, each holding a cage under their arm. The tortishell cat sat, meowing loudly, in Ley's cage, whilst a beautiful snowy owl was perched in Harry's. Snape merely sneered at them, before striding off, expected them to follow.

…AR…

Later that night, Harry sat up admiring his owl whilst Ley played with his cat n the bed. "What are you going to name it?" Ley asked, glancing up from the ball of string he was moving around for the cat to chase.

"Hedwig." Harry said finally with a small smile. "You?"

"Artemis." Ley said, stroking the cats silky soft ears. "I think it suits her. Hedwig too."

Harry sat silently for a moment, before handing Ley a piece of paper. "Hey…can you read this for me, before I send it?"

"Sure." Ley said, taking the paper curiously.

_Dear Headmaster_

_Firstly I would like to thank you for sending the representative to help me and my cousin out at Diagon Alley. He was very helpful._

_I don't know how to put this, but I was wondering if it were possible to enrol at Hogwarts under a different name. If what I've been told is true, then you know the significance of my name. If at all possible, I'd like to enrol as Harry Evans, half brother to Ley Evans. I'm sure you can imagine why enrolling under my name bothers me – I'd rather make friends for who I am, then for who I'm supposed to be._

_Thank you,_

_Harry Potter._

**A/N: I know some of you are probably wondering why Snape is being so…well, nice. The answer is, that I think too many people over exaggerate Snape's personality to the point where he is just plain evil. In all actuality, in the first book, Snape is no where near as horrible as we tend to make him out to be. The animosity grows as Harry gets older – but it starts off as just an old grudge. Sorry if you dislike this, but for the purposes of this story, Snape needs to be more like he is in the first book then like he is in the sixth one. **


	4. Dumbledore

**The Freaks on Privet Drive**

**A/N: I am officially hunting for a new title. If you think you have a good one, please please PLEASE suggest it! I wouldn't mind a different summary either, so if you think of one, let me know. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! I'd just like to remind everyone that Harry DIDN'T meet Draco at Diagon Alley. Please keep that in mind for the next chapter. **

**Chapter Four: Dumbledore**

Harry watched carefully, his eyes calculating as he observed Ley playing a game of chess with a twelve year old orphan, Jared. He grimaced as Ley made a stupid move, knowing that Ley's King would now be taken within three moves. He was about to voice this thought, when an even knocking on the front door interrupted.

Harry glanced at Ley and Jared, who seemed uninclined to move from their positions, before standing to open the door. One of the nicer staff had taken the younger kids out for an annual shopping trip – the three older kids had elected to stay behind. Harry swung the door open slowly, stepping back a little at the shocking appearance of the knocker.

It was an old man with a long white beard and sparkling blue eyes hidden behind half moon glasses. He wore a shocking combination of colours including a purple robe with yellow stars around the edges. The robe, combined with the wand that Harry could see tucked into the man's belt, could only mean that he was a wizard. "Good evening my boy!" The man said with a jolly smile, walking into the house with a chuckle. "You must be Harry."

Harry nodded slowly, glancing warily over to Ley, who had ushered Jared out of the room at the sigh of the stranger. Ley quickly joined Harry's side, staring up at the odd man in confusion.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, I am the headmaster of Hogwarts." He took a seat on the old, haggard looking couch, gesturing for the two boys to join him.

"If that's alright, sir," Harry said carefully, linking his hands behind his back. "I'd rather stand." Ley nodded at his cousin's side, causing Dumbledore's eyes to twinkle.

"Of course, my boy! Now I received your message Harry, and I'm here to advise against it." He said with a slight frown. "As you know, you're famous Harry! People are expecting you to be there this year."

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly, causing the man to shift uncomfortably. "I mean no disrespect, sir, but I don't think that people's expectations is anything I should be concerned about."

"I just don't think it's a good idea, Harry. You are a source of hope for the wizarding world! Were you not to be there, then people would wonder and they would worry." Dumbledore said, his eyes dimming slightly at the boy's stubborn stance.

"Again, sir, that's not really my problem, is it?" Harry's eyes hardened, showing the old man that he would not relent.

"Well then Harry, I'm afraid I can't allow you to enrol under a different name. It would be against protocol." Dumbledore sighed, appearing to be regretful.

"Well then I suppose I shall just have to find another school." Harry said, lifting his head defiantly. "Hogwarts can't be the _only_ one." Ley glanced between the two silently battling wizards, looking a little worried.

"But…Harry-" He began, only to be cut off.

"Quiet." Harry hissed, his eyes never leaving the head master's. Ley snapped his mouth shut, and stood nervously by Harry's side.

The headmaster sighed, finally breaking the staring match, and shook his head forlornly. "Very well then. You leave me with no choice. I will enrol you as Harry Evans, half brother to Ley Evans. The only people that know of your true identity are the four heads of house."

Harry inclined his head slightly, a small smirk on his innocent face. "It had better stay that way, headmaster. If anyone lets anything…slip, then I _will_ leave."

Dumbledore nodded, standing up and heading for the door. He paused however, turning back to the two boys. "How exactly do you plan on hiding your appearance? Anyone will recognise your scar."

Harry smiled, his eyes glinting slightly. "We have wands, and we've been reading." He gestured to a few wizarding books in the corner. "We've already taught ourselves a few spells, I'm sure we'll find some kind of appearance altering charm."

Dumbledore nodded, shuddering faintly before leaving. Once outside he stopped in his tracks, shaking his head. "He's going to be trouble…"

…AR…

"What was that?" Ley snapped, glaring at his cousin once Dumbledore left.

"What was what?" Harry asked with an innocent smirk, twirling his wand around in his hand idly.

Ley gestured his hand at the door. "All that…creepy stuff. The staring, the looks, _threatening_ the headmaster! What if he decided not to let us in?"

Harry shrugged, taking a seat in front of the unfinished chess game. "He didn't."

"But what if he did?" Ley's eyes were wide – he hadn't seen much of that side of Harry. There was only one time he could remember Harry acting like that. They had been eight years old and the incident had lead to their roof appearance that had resulted in them being kicked out of the Dursley's…

"_Give me your money, scar head!" Piers taunted, glaring at the short, skinny boy. Harry had taken a protective stance in front of Ley, keeping himself between Ley and their attacker. _

_Harry smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Or what?" _

"_Or I'll punch your head in, that's what!" Piers yelled, taking a lunge at Harry with his fists. _

_Harry stepped aside fluidly, before giving Piers a sharp shove, sending him flying backwards. He leapt forward, kneeling on Piers' chest to keep him down, glaring into his eyes. "That all you got?" He chuckled darkly before standing up slowly. His eyes hardened with anger as he stared at the scared kid on the ground. "Next time, think before you act." With that he had grabbed Ley's arm, and the next thing he knew, they were on the roof, leaving a bewildered eight year old behind._

"He didn't." Harry said firmly. "I knew he wouldn't have. If I'd thought he'd revoke our enrolment I wouldn't have attempted it at all. People like him look out for themselves; Me being at his school is a benefit to him. At the end of the day, me being there under another name is better for _him_ then me not being there at all." Ley stared wide eyed at his cousin as he moved one of Jared's pieces across the board.

Harry smirked. "Check Mate."

…_AR…_

The incident with Dumbledore was quickly forgotten as the two boys became wrapped up in excitement. They had looked through all of their books for somekind of appearance altering charm, until Harry had finally found one. It had taken him almost all the time leading up to September first to learn it, and for a little while, they feared being unable to learn it in time.

"Finally!" Harry breathed, as he glanced in the mirror. He had finally managed to successfully change the colour of his hair – it was now light brown. He grinned widely, before changing it back.

"You got it!" Ley exclaimed, practically jumping for joy. It was, after all, the day before they left for Hogwarts. If Harry hadn't picked it up then he would have to go as Harry Potter.

"What should I look like?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Give yourself blonde hair and blue eyes – we can be twins!" Ley exclaimed excitedly. Harry, however, shook his head.

"No, I can't. All I should really do is cover the scar; that way if someone thinks to cast the counter, the difference won't be obvious and my fringe will probably cover it anyway." Harry explained, before raising his wand.

"Glamoura!" He closed his eyes in concentration, opening them a few moments later. He examined his forehead carefully, before shaking his head. "Hang on…you can still kinda see it. Glamoura!" Finally, as he opened his eyes, he realised it had worked. "Good." He said with a nod. "Now what can I do about my glasses?"

"I read in one of those books that there's a spell a mediwizard can use to correct eyesight." Ley mentioned. "It's pretty advanced though – there's no way we'd be able to learn it."

"I wonder…" Harry muttered, frowning slightly. "What time is it?" He asked quickly, glancing at Lee who checked his watch.

"It's four o'clock."

Harry nodded, looking excited. "I recognised the outside of that pub – it's on a street about an hour away. We can catch a train, go in the pub, do that brick thing with our wands and get into the Alley! There must be someone there who can do it!"

"I dunno…" Ley muttered. "It's pretty risky."

"C'mon, let's go!"

…AR…

Three hours later, they got off at the train station, walking the short distance back to the orphanage. Harry was practically glowing with happiness – they'd found a mediwizard's shop at Diagon Alley (after getting lost several times) who had fixed Harry's eyes in a heart beat, for a few hundred galleons. It had been bloody expensive, but totally worth it. The wizard had assured them that it would last for at least a year, before it would have to be renewed.

The two got hardly any sleep that night, far too excited by the prospect of the next day. By the time morning finally came, the two boys were up and ready by nine o'clock, leaving the orphanage at half past. They had spun a tale to Smithson about getting scholarships to some far off boarding school – he hadn't really listened or cared much in the slightest. They took a bus to King's cross station, becoming more exuberant by the minute. The exuberance faded, however, when they cared to look at the train tickets Snape had thrust into their hands whilst at Diagon.

"Uh…" Ley said, staring blankly at the ticket. "Platform nine and three quarters?" he muttered, glancing between platforms nine and ten. "Right."

"What the bloody hell does that mean!" Harry shouted angrily, gaining the attention of quite a few people. "Nine and three quarters." He scoffed. "How can you have three quarters of a platform?"

The two were become quite distressed as their watches ticked closer to eleven o'clock, with no platform nine and three quarters in sight. Eventually, a red headed woman with a large number of red headed kids approached, looking at them in concern. "Is there a problem, dears?" She asked, glancing between Ley (Who was sitting on the ground with his head in his hands) and Harry (Who was methodically bumping his head softly on a nearby wall.) The two jumped, Ley standing up quickly and Harry stopping the self mutilation to stand by his side.

"Yes." Ley said quickly. "Now please don't laugh at us like the other six people we asked have, but where can I find platform nine and three quarters?" Desperation was evident in his voice – both were becoming scared that they would never make it to Hogwarts.

"Oh you poor dears, you must be muggle born!" The woman said, shaking her head.

"Close enough." Harry answered weakly. "Half bloods, but muggle raised."

"Poor dears!" The woman gushed. "They really need to make it clearer on the tickets…" She muttered, ushering the two bewildered boys over to the wall between platforms nine and ten. "My name is Molly Weasley. This lot belongs to me." She began to point at each as she introduced them. "That's Ron, Percy, Ginny, Fred and George."

"No, mum!" One of the identical red heads said, placing a patronising hand on her shoulder. "I'm Fred, _he's _George!"

"Really?" The other twin said, appearing on their mothers other side. "I thought _I_ was Fred!" He paused, as if thinking. "Wait, no you're right! I _am_ George!"

"Stop it, you two!" Molly snapped with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry about them, dears."

"That's alright, Mrs. Weasley." Ley said politely. "I'm Ley Evans and this is my half brother, Harry Evans. We're first years, and as Harry said, muggle raised…we were just wondering how to get to the platform."

"Lovely to meet you dears. Now, all you do is walk directly at that wall between platforms nine and ten." At their hesitant looks, she gestured to her eldest son. "Percy, you go first, show them how it's done."

Harry and Ley stared in amazement as the boy simply walked through the wall with his trolley as if it wasn't even there. "But…" Ley murmured, staring wide eyed as the twins followed. "Don't the muggles notice?"

"Muggles don't tend to notice magic, even when it's right in front of them." Molly said, shaking her head with a sigh. "Now go on boys!" She aid as Ron disappeared after the twins.

"Thank you very much for your help." Ley said with a smile.

"Thank you." Harry said softly, before grabbing Ley's arm. Together, they pushed their trolleys through the wall, disappearing from sight.


	5. Frustration

**Chapter Five: Frustration**

"Whew!" Ley gasped as he slid the compartment door shut, still staring wide eyed at the clamour outside. There were a _lot_ of people – both students and their families – on the platform. It had been a struggle wading through them and finding an empty compartment.

They'd barely had time to sit down and get Artemis and Hedwig settled, however, when the door burst open. "Oh thank God!" The girl exclaimed, tucking a few strands of bushy brown hair behind her ear. "It's practically empty! You wouldn't mind if I joined you, would you? Everywhere else is completely full up! I'm muggle born see, so I was a little late getting here and by the time I worked to how to get onto the platform-"

"It's fine." Harry cut her off with a sigh. "Have a seat."

"Yeah." Ley scoffed. "They really need to mention the fact that you have to _walk through the wall_ on the tickets. Me'n Har stood there for _ages_ trying to work it out."

"Are you muggle born too? Oh that's fantastic! I thought for _sure_ I'd be the only one." She said, smiling brightly.

"Half bloods." Ley corrected as Harry stared out the window. "But we were raised by muggles."

"How fascinating! I'm Hermione, by the way. Hermione Granger." She said, holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Ley Evans." He said, shaking her hand politely. "This is my brother Harry." He gestured towards Harry who merely continued to stare out the window.

"Don't mind him," Ley said in a stage whisper. "He's just in one of his moods. His 'nervous' mood, to be exact."

Harry's eyes snapped quickly away from the window to glare at Ley. "I am _not_ nervous."

"Uh-huh. Sure." Ley rolled his eyes, winking at Hermione. Harry crossed his arms before turning back to the window. They were interrupted by a soft hoot from above them.

"Is that your owl?" Hermione said, catching sight of the snowy bird. "She's beautiful!"

"That's Hedwig. She's Harry's. The furball hiding under your seat is my cat, Artemis." Ley said, rolling his eyes as said furball let out a pathetic mew. Hermione leaned over to peer under the seat, smiling as she saw the little brown and black kitten blinking up at her with glowing yellow eyes.

"Here girl," Hermione cooed, holding out her hand under the seat.

"Don't mind her – she's flighty." Ley said as the cat remained stubbornly where it was, just out of Hermione's reach. "I don't think she likes the train too much, either."

Hermione straightened in her chair, and silence descended over the three for a few minutes.

"So if you two are half bloods, why were you raised by muggles?" Hermione asked curiously after a few moments.

Ley shifted uncomfortably, before turning to Harry to explain. "We're half brothers. We had the same father, but different mothers. Our father was a wizard, but both our mothers were muggles. When father died we got sent to a muggle orphanage without knowing about magic, as he had never spoken of it to us." Harry spoke in a detached monotone, never once lifting his eyes from the window as he relayed the fabricated story.

Hermione listened with her hands over her mouth, a look of piy on her face. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to pry – that must've been so hard-"

"Don't worry about it." Harry said distantly.

"He was a horrible man." Ley said with a nod. "He hated Harry and didn't care too much for me either, after a certain…incident." A look between the two cousins, and each knew who the other was thinking about. _Vernon Dursley_.

The rest of the train ride passed in mostly silence, with Hermione and Ley talking occasionally. As much as Harry hated to admit it, he _was_ nervous, and it showed in his stubborn silence.

Several hours later, the train finally came to a halt outside of a snowy town. The subdued mood finally broke as Hermione began chatting excitedly again as they stepped off the train. They followed the crowd of first years that were being beckoned by a giant man over to a group of boats.

"It's 'Ogwarts tradition for the firs' years to sail across the lake." The man, Hagrid, was saying. The three of them climbed warily into one of the small wooden boats, being joined by a nervous looking boy who clutched a toad in both hands. Hermione struck up a conversation about the magic applied to the self steering boats to the helpless boy, who they soon learned was named Neville, who merely nodded in agreement with her. Harry and Ley sat in a contemplating silence, wondering at how quickly their lives had changed.

A cheer of excitement rose from the first years as the great castle appeared on the horizon, and a few minutes later after they floated through an underground tunnel, they were climbing onto the shore. They were ushered into a large room where a stern looking woman in emerald green robes with her hair in a tight bun was waiting impatiently.

The forty-odd first years waited anxiously as the Professor explained a few things about Hogwarts and the houses, before informing them that the sorting would take place in a few minutes, and exiting through the large doors they waited behind. Chatter sprang up the moment she left, the attention focussing on a tall, freckled red headed boy. "I heard we have to complete a test!" He said loudly. "My brothers told me so. Fred said it hurts a lot…but I think he was joking."

"I heard we have to fight a troll!" Another boy exclaimed, looking gleeful. "A real live mountain troll!"

"As if." Someone else scoffed. "We probably just have to write a test or something."

"We probably have to fight off the ghosts!" Another student piped up loudly.

"Ghosts?" Hermione scoffed. "There's no such thing." The boy merely pointed behind them in answer, where about twenty ghosts were entering through the walls. Hermione blinked slightly, before nodding. "Alright, maybe they _do_ exist!" She said, gaping in awe as the ghosts floated passed and through the door that the Professor had used.

Professor McGonagall returned several moments later, ushering them over to the doors. "Now, form a line and follow me." She told them, before entering. The first years gasped in awe as they entered, gaping at the transparent roof and floating candles.

"Wow…" Harry muttered, feeling his anxiety fade and be replaced with wonder.

"Yeah. Wow." Ley agreed, as Hermione began to chatter about the magic behind the ceiling. A stool with a mangy looking old hat was placed in front of them, before to their utter surprise, the brim opened and the hat began to sing.

The song spoke of Hogwarts as a divided entity, made up of four things. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Harry remembered that these were what McGonagall had called the four houses. A glance around the room showed four colours that seated students wearing different colours – they must have to sit in houses at certain tables. The hall began to cheer as the hat finished its song, a few of the first years complaining that after all their speculation, all they had to do was try on a hat.

"Abbott, Hannah!" McGonagall called, and a pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled forward and put on the hat. Something obviously went on while she sat there, as after a few moments, the Hat's brim opened, yelling "HUFFLEPUFF!" Several more students were sorted, one of the four houses being called out each time. Eventually, it got to 'E'.

"Evans, Harry!" Harry approached the stool carefully, an apathetic mask in place to hide his returned anxiety. His green eyes glittered in anticipation, as he slowly took a seat on the stool. He pulled the hat on with only the slightest hesitation, wincing as it fell over his eyes.

"_Well, well, well…what have we here? Harry Potter."_ The hat sounded amused.

"_Yes, but for the time being it's Evans." _

"_Alright...hmm… what a mind. Difficult, very difficult. A very sharp mind but you lack the love for learning needed to find a place in Ravenclaw. Loyal, but only to those who've completely and utterly earned your trust…which is hard to do. Certainly not Hufflepuff. Courageous, but too careful to be a Gryffindor. Brave, but you lack the hellish recklessness found in most Gryffindors…definitely not Gryffindor. That leaves…oh yes, cunning, calculating, you think before you do or say __**anything**__ don't you. And yet...you lack ambition. And a half blood! I don't believe you would fit in amongst the snakes. What a difficult choice indeed!"_

"_How so?"_ Harry asked, curious as to what the Hat was finding in his head.

"_You have qualities of every house, but not enough of any house to sort you!"_ Suddenly, he heard what sounded like a gasp. _"Oh…now this is interesting."_ The hat said, almost to itself._ "Oh yes, I know where to put you now. Half blood or no, you're definitely going to_ SLYTHERIN!"

Harry stood, placing the hat on the stool. Slytherin? Why did that feel a little ominous, he wondered. He walked over to the green clad table, searching for a seat. There were a few empty seats towards the end of the table, where he sat quickly. In the mean time, Ley's name was being called.

"Evans, Ley!" As Ley jammed the hat on his head, he made up his mind about where he was going to be sorted – no matter what the hat said!

"_Dudley Dursley, eh?. Just as mysterious as your cousin, aren't you?"_

"_My name is Ley Evans now. Don't bother looking through my mind, I want to go in Slytherin!"_

"_Sorry Evans, but it doesn't work like that."_

"_I don't care! I want to go with my brother! Put me in Slytherin you stupid hat or I'll – I'll…I'll set you on fire!" _

"_Oh you will, will you? Yes, you're definitely brave enough to do so. Alright then, I know where to put you."_

"_Put me in Slytherin!"_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Fucking hat!" He hissed, provoking a sharp admonishment from McGonagall as he threw it onto the floor. Something in her glare stopped him from casting an incendio as he had planned on. He stalked over to the Gryffindor with a heavy scowl, sitting next to Lavender Brown, a first year who had been sorted into Gryffindor earlier.  
He sighed, his anger draining to frustration as he watched the other first years be sorted. Why couldn't the hat just put him with Harry? Eventually Hermione was called and he cheered half heartedly when she was pronounced a Gryffindor. She came over and sat beside him, expressing her condolences that he and Harry were separated, before questioning the ghost that sat in front of her.

On the other side of the hall, Harry watched with a scowl. At least Ley had _Hermione_, he didn't know _anyone_ in Slytherin! A little while later, a blond boy took the empty seat beside him with a sneer. He was obviously a pure blood, with expensive robes and immaculate hair. He turned to Harry, raising his eyebrow slightly. "Draco Malfoy." He said by way of introduction.

"Harry Evans." Harry said with a sigh, not particularly liking this other boy.

"Evans?" Draco frowned. "Doesn't sound pureblood."

"I'm not." Harry said simply, before turning back to the sorting. Draco gaped slightly, before sneering.

"Then _why_ are you in Slytherin?"

Harry shrugged noncommittally. "How should I know? Ask the Hat."

"Hmph." Draco scoffed, before turning away.

A girl named Pansy Parkinson was sorted into Slytherin, and took the seat beside Draco. "Who's that?" She asked Draco rudely, gesturing at Harry.

"Evans. Mudblood." Draco sneered.

"Oh." Pansy said, shuddering slightly. "Why is he in Slytherin?"

Harry refrained from reminding them that he _was_ actually here, preferring to ignore them instead. He watched as a red head boy sat beside Ley, introducing Harry's cousin to a group of older redheads. Ley laughed at one of their jokes, and suddenly, Harry felt incredibly left out.

Finally the last student, Blaise Zabini, was sorted into Slytherin, and the Headmaster stood up. Harry's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Dumbledore, but he soon forgot about the older wizard as food appeared on the table. He sighed and placed some mashed potatoes and carrots on his plate, adding a lamb chop as well. He skilfully managed to ignore his Slytherin year mates as they conversed, until Draco addressed him.

"What do you think, Mudblood?" He asked pompously, as if he was being _oh _so generous by including lowlier life forms in his conversation.

"I think that you have an over inflated ego and an under inflated brain, Malfoy." He hissed, his patience wearing thin.

"Oh really!" Draco scoffed. "Well at least my blood is pure!"

Harry turned away, shaking his head as he continued to eat. "You aren't even worth it, Malfoy." Draco frowned as Harry began to ignore him, objecting to being brushed off so easily. Eventually, he went back to his conversation, shooting Harry a contemptuous glare.

When dinner _finally_ ended, Harry headed out of the hall quickly, waiting angrily for Ley. A few minutes later, Ley walked into the entrance hall with Hermione and Ron (who were arguing loudly) and smiled in relief as he saw Harry.

"Hey Har," He said, only to receive an annoyed grunt in return. "I can't believe that bloody hat split us up!"

"I know." Harry bit out angrily. Suddenly, Hogwarts wasn't looking so great. "At least you have some friends." He glared at the two offenders, who stood (still arguing) behind Ley. "I'm stuck with a bunch of bigoted, arrogant pure bloods."

Suddenly, Ron seemed to notice who Ley was talking to. "Aren't you a Slytherin?" He demanded, his eyes narrowing into a glare. "My brothers told me not to associate with Slytherins. They're the ones that joined you-know-who."

Harry turned to glare at the red head, a sneer on his lips. "And you're a foolhardy Gryffindor." He hissed, before turning back to Ley. He He was bloody _frustray_He He was bloody _frustrated_ with the situation they'd found themselves in, and all he wanted was for his cousin to comfort him like he always did. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

"Leave the slimy Slytherin, Ley!" Ron urged. "Probably up to no good anyway."

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "That's Ley's brother!"

"But he's _Slytherin_!" Ron argued, glaring at said Slytherin.

Harry glared, biting back a vicious comment. Finally, he turned back to Ley. "Forget it." He hissed. "I'll see you later." He stalked off, following the direction he'd seen the other Slytherins go, cursing the sorting hat under his breath. He turned a corner in the dungeons, seeing a Slytherin student walk up to a portrait and mutter something. The portrait then opened for the boy, before shutting behind him. _That must be the common room_. He thought, before hurrying over.

"Password?" The portrait said as he approached.

"What? I don't know the password!" Harry hissed, glaring at the offending portrait.

The man sneered at him, before replying silkily. "No password, no entry."

Harry sighed, and decided to wait until someone else came. After a few minutes, he sank to the floor, burying his head in his hands. "Why did I think that Hogwarts would be _fun_?" He moaned, feeling like he was on the verge of tears. Nothing could go right for him, it seemed.

…AR…

Ley sighed as he flopped down onto a chair in the common room, feeling bad for what had happened with Harry. He knew that his cousin would be feeling pretty low and felt extremely guilty for letting him walk away. "What's wrong?" Hermione asked, taking a seat next to him.

"Just thinking…" he muttered, scrubbing his face with his hand. "About Harry." He sighed, feeling the guilt wash over him once more. "He's never been good with making friends – I thought for sure we'd be together, I never even considered…" he paused, sighing deeply. "Now he's all alone with those pricks in Slytherin – did you see the way they were looking at him at dinner?" he shook his head. "I should have done more to convince the hat to put me with him."

"It's not your fault." She said awkwardly. "The sorting hat decides…" She shrugged. "Harry obviously has some Slytherin qualities whilst you have Gryffindor ones. There's nothing you can do about that!"

"I know." Ley sighed. "But it still feels like I abandoned him…"

…AR…

"What are you doing here, Boy?" Harry jumped at the voice, raising his head form his knees tiredly. It was Snape, and he looked angry. Harry swallowed nervously, standing up slowly.

"I'm sorry sir…I don't know the password." He said softly, willing Snape to take pity on him and let him in.

"Hm." Snape scoffed. "And you figured you'd just sit out here in the hall instead of going and asking someone for help, did you?" Snape sneered down at him, before shaking his head.

"Alright Pot-_Evans_." He caught himself quickly. "Basilisk." He said to the portrait, which opened quickly. "Next time I expect you to come and find me, rather then mope in the hallway until midnight." He hissed, glaring at the subdued boy. "Now get in. You're sharing with Draco Malfoy. It's the third room up those stairs." He muttered before stalking off. "Just when you think it can't _get_ any worse." Harry muttered, as he made his way up to his new room. That he had to share with _Malfoy_. He couldn't suppress a cringe no matter how hard he tried.


End file.
